UPTON - In a bow to tradition as well as the rapid response required by emergency personnel, firefighters Monday night learned the right way to slide down a pole.

To that end, pole fitness instructor Lynda Glassey, put local firefighters through the paces.

The training is designed to accustom his crew to the new firepole in the station, Upton Fire Chief Aaron Goodale said.

"The station is about eight years old and, when it was built, there was no pole installed," he said. "Through local efforts, we were able to fund the installation of a pole."

Goodale said the pole had several advantages to the department.

"Part of it is tradition," he said. "Also, in our station, to get from the second floor down to the first floor requires you to go a long way - it has to do with the way the building was designed."

"In a different station, a pole wouldn't have been put in," he added.

Goodale said, though, that the pole presents a new challenge to the department. He said local firefighters hadn't used a firepole before, as this station hadn't had one and the previous station was only one story tall.

"Poles, if used improperly, can be dangerous, so we brought in an instructor to come and train us," he said. "It's a benefit that pole fitness is now a thing."

According to Goodale, the department first learned of Glassey through a patient.

"During an ambulance call, a patient mentioned that a relative did this kind of instruction," he said. "I also believe someone else handed me a brochure from the business."

Glassey said her studio Pole Fitness Plus had been open a little more than six months. She said it was an exciting opportunity to teach the firefighters.

"We've gotten a fairly decent response so far - we are a new and unique business," she said. "We're still trying to get over the stigma of pole dancing."

According to Glassey, there is a proper form to follow in order to slide down a pole.

"I'll show how to grip and hold the pole," she said. "You should start from a standing position, and you don't want to grab it and just fall to the ground - it's about pulling it into your body."

Mike Gleason can be reached at 508-634-7546 or mgleason@wickedlocal.com.